Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the body

It is important to note that sleeping is essential to your health just like you need to eat and breathe. While you are sleeping, your body is busy attending to your mental and physical health preparing you for another day.

In adolescents and children, hormones that stimulate growth are released while sleeping. These hormones help in building muscle mass and repairing tissues and cells. Sleeping is therefore important to one’s development during puberty stage.

When you fail to get enough sleep, your brain cannot function well, affecting your emotional state and cognitive abilities. When this becomes a trend in your life, it can lower body defenses, exposing you at higher risks of contracting chronic illness. Some of the more observable signs of sleep deprivation include yawning, irritability and excessive sleepiness. Chronic sleep deprivation is dangerous and may interfere with coordination, decision making, and balance abilities.

When you fall asleep during the day, know that you are risking even if you manage to fight the sleep. Stimulants such as caffeine are not in a position to override the profound need for your body’s sleep.

When you are sleep deprived, alcohol consumption effects are magnified, thus risking yourself of getting involved in an accident. Recent studies show that when you sleep less than six hours a night, you increase the risk of dying by 15 percent from all causes. Therefore; sleep deprivation is very unsafe to your physical and mental health and can lower your life quality dramatically.

Central Nervous System

Enough sleep is required to help keep your central nervous system function properly since, the central nervous system serves as the highway through which information pass to your body. During sleep, your brain rests the busy neurons forming new pathways to help you face the world when you wake up in the morning.

For adolescents and children, the brain helps in releasing growth hormones while they sleep. Your body also produces proteins while sleeping which helps cells in repairing damage. Sleep deprivation will leave your brain exhausted, rendering it not ready to perform its duties as required.

Immune System

When sleeping, your immune system generates infection-fighting cells, antibodies, and protective cytokines that help in fighting off viruses and bacteria. These protective substances will also assist you sleep well giving your immune system additional energy to defend your body against illness.

Respiratory System

Since sleep deprivation is capable of weakening your body immune system, you are more prone to suffer from respiratory problems such as influenza and common cold. Sleep deprivation may worsen the condition for those already suffering from chronic lung disease.

Digestive system

Recent studies have found that there is a link between weight gain and lack of sleep. In addition to not exercising and eating too much, sleep deprivation is another key factor that contributes to obesity.

Sleep deprivation also increases stress hormone cortisol production in the body. Insufficient sleep lowers lepton hormone levels in your body, which communicates to your brain system that you have had sufficient to eat. Sleep deprivation stimulates your body to produce insulin in higher levels after eating, prompting extra fat storage and subjecting you to higher risks of contracting type 2 diabetes condition.

Cardiovascular System

Because you are more prone to gaining weight when chronically sleep deprived, chances are high that you may develop cardiovascular system problems. Sufficient sleep plays an important role in preparing your body towards repairing and healing your heart and blood vessels.

Insufficient sleep can subject one into higher risks of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.